Moments in Time
by Kakashis Forehead Protector
Summary: Post SR series of vignettes and oneshots chronicling the LoisClark relationship.
1. Chapter 1

A.N. All right - I'm reloading this to fix a couple grammar issues and shorten the A.N.

Mostly, this isn't going to be a multi-chaptered fic; it's going to be a set of one-shots/vignettes chronicling Clark and Lois' relationship as I would like to see it, and they'll be posted as I write them, not chronologically. They'll sort of be a companion to An Office Romance, although it doesn't need to be read to understand this one.

Also, while I love feedback -- I'll admit it, I love it -- I'm not going to hold my fic 'hostage' until I get some; I'll post as I write, and if you want to leave a review I would really, really appreciate it, but don't worry if you're the only one who does - I'll still post more until I'm out of ideas : ).

One last thing, about this vignette in particular: Most of my stories are going to be happy-themed rather than sad -- AOR is a good example of my general work-- and this is really one of the few exceptions to that.

Well, with that out of the way, enjoy the story!

Moments in Time: If Sorrow were Forgiveness

Richard White was a good, honorable man; Superman wouldn't have trusted him to care for Lois and Jason otherwise. Not that he could have -- or would have -- ever stopped Lois from being with whomever it was she wanted to, but still; it gave him peace of mind to know that, if she had to be with someone, it was a man like Richard, who loved her and Jason with his entire heart.

There were some things even Richard couldn't do, though, and it put a strain on their relationship. She had thought things would be fine, after the New Krypton incident, even though they now had irrefutable proof that Jason wasn't his biological son. That had been a blow, but Richard still treasured Jason as his own, and they had worked past it. But then had come the earthquake, and the building collapse, and Superman saving her and Jason where no one else could. Outwardly everything had been fine and dandy, Richard content to be glad that they were all right, but he and she both knew something had changed irreparably. Richard was one of the best men she knew, yes, but he was still a man, and for him to know that someone loved his fiancé and the son he considered his own, to know that this man had saved their lives more times than he could count, and to know that there would always be a part of Lois that flew away with Superman every time she saw him leave, to know that - it hurt him more than anything ever had.

Lois leant back in the rocking chair and sighed. Two days, now -- two days since Richard had taken an assignment in China. It was only a trial separation; he would be back in a couple of weeks.

Lois sighed again and stirred the rocking chair lightly. Same rocking chair she had sat in, the day they brought Jason back from the hospital. Richard had been so happy that day: he had hovered over her, petting their son and taking picture after picture until she had told him to stop acting like Jimmy.

Except that there was the rub, wasn't it? Jason wasn't their son, not really. Not his son. Richard had always known their was a chance that Jason wasn't his, but he had chosen to love and care for the boy anyway, never even suggesting that he wanted proof.

It had been wonderful all those years, working out better than she could have imagined. But now things were different. Ever since Jason had pushed the piano on board the Gertrude she had known, in heart if not in mind. He had been a wonderful father to Jason, but there were things he could not give the boy now. Richard might have had the heart of a superhero, but he just did not have the powers, and no amount of wishing would change that.

It wasn't all Superman's fault, not really. No matter how much Lois wanted to blame him for this situation, wanted to hate him, she couldn't. If he hadn't left she would never have started seeing Richard, true, but if he had had the slightest idea she was pregnant he never would have left, she knew that much.

It was partly both their own faults, partly a set of unfortunate and unforeseeable circumstances. The only truly blameless one was Richard, and of course he was going to pay the heaviest price for it.

Just a trial separation, they had said. Just a few weeks to get our heads straight, to think things through.

Lois didn't know what would happen in the future -- whether they would stay together or not; she just knew, no matter what happened, things would never be the same for either one of them.

I'm so sorry, Richard, she pled in her mind as if that thought could comfort the man half a world away. So sorry. . . and Lois sighed once more, rocking herself gently as the tears burned behind her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

A.N. Well, here's the second installment! Hope you all enjoy : ). Keep in mind - these are definitely not in chronological order; this happens about eight months after the first one.

Moments in Time: The Way I See It. . .

Now I'm not saying that all strong and beautiful women are cruel, and I'm not saying that they aren't: what I am saying is that no man with an ounce of intelligence should ever become involved with a woman who is both stronger and better-looking than he is.

Take that fellow, for example: tall and gangly, with a fashion sense that might have been considered 'hip' around the time my husband flew a warplane for the Allied forces; this chap is not unattractive, although he seems to have forgotten to outgrow the awkward stage that hit when he was thirteen. He seems like a nice, albeit gullible, young man, and his strong square jaw is striking -- it reminds me of someone I saw on the television, although I can't for the life of me think who. Yes, this man has promise: he would do quite well with a quiet, mild-mannered sort of wife who would sit at home and mind the children.

Of course, young men like him must learn from experience, and I know this boy was in trouble as soon as I laid eyes on him.

I was sitting on my bench quite comfortably, watching the people scurry around the fountain as they do, all in a rush, when along he came, pacing about and rubbing his hands together nervously, muttering to himself like a lunatic.

I knew immediately there was a beautiful woman at the crux of the matter; and, no doubt, she would make an appearance before long.

In the meantime, however, he sat down on my bench and was kind enough to listen to an old lady's prattle when I struck up a conversation with him. He even feigned interest in the photographs I had of my granddaughter -- now she would be a good match for him -- and picked up my cane when I knocked it over. I would be willing to bet that young man was a boy scout when he was growing up: you can always tell the type.

Things went much as I had anticipated: soon enough a cab stopped on the curb near the fountain and a woman stepped out. It was worse than I had feared, I realized as the fellow -- I never did catch his name -- hurried off to meet her.

This was not just any ambitious businesswoman; this was Lois Lane, that reporter from the Daily Planet who is, or so I have heard, one of the most brilliant, confident, and career-minded women in Metropolis. And let me tell you, her looks are nothing to sneeze at, either.

It's no wonder the boy fell hard for her, yet I can't but feel sorry for the poor thing; I really think he is going to have his heart broken. Because she controls his heart: I can see in his eyes that he cares for her deeply, and normally I would be happy for him, but in my experience women like her do not go with men like him unless they want a bit of fun -- and he wants a little something more than that, I think.

I wonder that he should have plucked up the courage to ask her, though, when all the tabloids say she is in love with Superman. Little more than half a year, too, since, according to my nephew's son's girl, who works at the Planet -- not that I asked her to gossip, mind you -- Ms. Lane broke off a five year engagement to the father of her only child after the Man in Blue saved her and her son from the wreckage of a collapsed building. Not exactly the sort of thing one would expect from an honorable sort of woman, is it?

Ryan's girl says Ms. Lane never 'got over' Superman in the first place, that she was just trying to replace him with that fiancé of hers all this time. I wouldn't know anything about that, and it is certainly not my place to judge, especially not without sufficient information, but. . . the man was the father of her child, and she just dropped him on a whim, or so the tabloids say. And now there she goes, stringing along this nice young fellow, smiling up into his eyes as if she really meant it.

Pity, really, they do make quite a nice young couple strolling around the fountain like that, her hand tucked safely into his arm. I do believe the boy is far more handsome than I originally gave him credit for, and -- he is so tall! They do look sweet together. Hmm, I remember when I used to walk like that, back in the day when Harold and I would--

But what is this? Clumsy man must have dropped something, or -- Oh, my dear. I do believe -- yes, he is kneeling -- I do believe the nice young man is proposing! The poor thing; if only she is kind she will tell him no right away rather than string him on. My, that is quite a long engagement speech; I do say, he certainly knows how string two words together. If only -- but wait a minute. Did she just say yes? It looks as if those are tears, but surely she couldn't possibly--

My goodness! In my day, such public displays of affection were conducted well away from the public eye!

Well, I suppose Ms. Lane got over Superman after all.


	3. Chapter 3

A.N. Sorry this took a while to put up: this was the first time I hadn't been sick during finals in years, and, of course, I caught the flu the day after my last exam. Oh well. : P. On the bright side, I have four completely finished and two half-done fics of varying degrees of decency sitting in my notebook, and I'll post them as soon as I type them up and edit them.

Hope you all enjoy this one!

What's in a Name?

Clark Kent, sitting cross-legged on a picnic blanket, napkin tucked into his collar, looked very strange; in fact, he resembled nothing more than a crouching 6'4" spider about to devour its prey -- in this case, an egg roll from the Chinese place down the street.

Lois stretched and fiddled with her rice as Clark contentedly put down his egg roll and removed his suit jacked. Lois knew they must present an odd picture to anyone who didn't know them -- and even some of those who did. Gangly Clark in his old-fashioned vest and glasses, herself in an office suit and the sneakers Clark had fetched for her, and Jason incongruously flopped on his stomach drawing yet another masterpiece for the refrigerator door. Red and blue crayons -- ten to one odds on what the subject was.

Lois sighed as Clark dribbled some coffee onto his napkin, but her frown turned into a smile as Jason, taking an absentminded sip of his soda, did the same thing. Just another way her munchkin took after Clark, and judging by the look in Clark's eyes, it had been the real Clark, not Planet Clark, that had just been clumsy.

Planet Clark? Hmm -- sounded strange. Then again, what wasn't strange about dating a mild-mannered reporter whose alter ego was a crime-fighting superhero from another planet?

Clark raised his eyebrows at her as she giggled.

"Whazzo-" he paused, swallowed, and continued. "What's so funny?"

"I know too many Clarks."

She grinned as he scooted closer to her and put his arm around her.

"Too many?" His breath landed softly on her neck, and Lois shivered.

"Well, there's Planet Clark - he's nice, but clumsy and much too naïve. Had Perry demanded the story on our two-month anniversary, Planet Clark would probably have told me, then run off and hidden in the storage closet because he couldn't face me." She leant back into him, not really caring if they looked like a pair of lovestruck teenagers. "Super Clark would have pretended he forgot, then whisked me off to Paris for the weekend." His arms tightened just a bit, and she smiled. "And then there's Real Clark -- also known as Happy Clark. He would have realized things don't always go to plan, gotten down on his knees and offered Perry his firstborn for a long lunch hour, picked Jason up and bought -- oh, I don't know, a picnic blanket and some Chinese takeout, and given me one of the best surprises of my life."

"Tell me more about this Clark," he said as he shifted and kissed the top of her head.

"Hmm…let's see: he's a farm boy from Kansas raised with good old-fashioned morals and beliefs -- not to mention fashion sense--"

"Let me guess, light-blue three piece suits?"

"Exactly. Why, do you know him?"

"I think I might, just a bit."

Lois backed off and turned around so she was facing him. Her heart leaped when she saw his eyes; three months together and he still made her feel butterflies.

"Well, this Clark -- he's a stand-up guy, someone you can rely on whenever you're in trouble or just need someone to talk to. Sometimes his job keeps him busy, but he does his best to be there when you need him. He's not had much experience with kids, but he's turning out to be a good father, whether it involves playing ball after work or being stern when the tyke wants to skip his homework."

Clark opened his mouth to say something, but Lois raised her finger to hush him.

"And you know what? I think that if all the other Clarks were to suddenly disappear, I'd still be happy. Because this Clark is the one I fell in love with, and I wouldn't trade him for all the Clarks in the world."

His eyes were gleaming, and as he kissed her one part of Lois' mind heard Jason's tortured "mo-ooom", felt her hand slip into the sweet and sour chicken and realized that, yes, they looked ridiculous, and, yes, people were staring, but at that moment she couldn't have cared less; she had finally found the Clark Kent she had dreamed of all these years, and it would have been worth an eternity of ridicule to be with him.


End file.
